Bounding Through Time
by missmochicat
Summary: University students Neji is a senior majoring in film, & Tenten is a sophomore & aspiring artist. After crossing paths several times, eventually the opposites befriend one another & fall in love-however, not if Neji's strict father & other circumstances can help it. With Neji's sudden/unexplained disappearance, Tenten begins losing hope in finding her love again...until one day...
1. Chapter 1

**Note:** Sorry this first chapter is so short! I'm just trying to set up the story  & really wanted to hurry up & post it already (: I'm quite excited about this one, & hope you are too! I'm very happy to get back to writing some fanfic stuff, it's been FOREVER. I love NejiTen & really wanted to write something very romantic/mushy/angsty. Stay tuned soon for part two! 3

* * *

 **One**

He had long brown hair that flowed in the wind, and that could honestly make any girl wish she had hair like his. He was probably the only guy around here who had such hair, but was also the only one who could pull it off.

What I loved the most about him what his eyes—the lightest lavender you've ever seen, so piercing and a bit unnerving, but so captivating at the same time. I couldn't help but feel frozen in place and absolutely hypnotized under that gaze every single time.

He was the moon—beautiful, mysterious, and calming—all at once, while I was the complete opposite. I was a mess, and average at best. He was in a whole other world compared to me. I would even be lucky to ever catch his attention.

* * *

It was just another Monday. I had just finished up English class, and was headed to the library to catch up on some homework.

Signs of fall were becoming more present on campus, as any remains of August and the rest of the summer were slowly fading away. The trees were shifting from bright green to shades of orange, red, and yellow, and there was a slight change in the air…it felt cooler, and more crisp.

Suddenly I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, and I quickly pulled it out to answer.

"Hello?"

"Tenten!" It was one of my best friends, Ino. "Are you busy right now?"

"Um…" I glanced at my watch on my left wrist. "Kind of."

"Are you still doing homework that's not due till like two weeks from now, _again_?"

"Well…"

"Seriously, Tenten? Do you ever have FUN? Or at least live a little?"

"I do have fun," I retorted defensively. "I just like to get ahead. Besides, I really do have a lot on my plate for this week, and I still don't know what to draw for my semester art project. It's super important, and—"

"Yeah, all righty." Ino cut me off, and then sighed. "If you say so, girly. We'll still see you at dinner though, right?"

"Of course! I still have to eat too, you know."

She laughed. "Great! Sakura and I will see you then!"

Just as I was hanging up and trying to put my phone away into my backpack, I collided with something—or someone—hard. And dropped all of my stuff in the process.

When I realized it had been a person I had run into, I felt my entire face turn red and grow warm. "Oh, my god," I stammered, "I'm so sorry…"

The person, who had long hair, turned around, and to my surprise it was a guy, _not_ a girl like I had initially believed. Even worse. "I-I…"

"It's okay, don't worry about it." He slowly bent down and began retrieving all of my scattered things.

I quickly followed suit, still in awe of his eyes. _No one has eyes like that_ , I thought as I snuck another glance at him. _Are they even real_? That shade of lavender was so—unnatural. Intimidating, almost. But for him, somehow, it worked.

He stood up and handed me my things. "Sorry…I wasn't really paying attention either. Did I hurt you?"

I carefully took my belongings from him, accidentally brushing hands with his. He didn't seem to notice this, however, or even acknowledge it. I felt my heart rate increase with my nerves. "Oh no…I'm fine. Are you…okay?" I found it a bit difficult to talk to him, let alone even hold eye contact with him.

He gave me a small smile, as if sensing this. "Nah. Not at all."

"Oh, okay…that's good." I sighed with relief.

"Well, I'm running late," he said, interrupting the awkward silence and brushing a hand through his hair. "Sorry again." He gave a little wave and was turning to leave when suddenly I found myself blurting out, "W-Wait!"

He stopped and turned around, those mesmerizing pale eyes on me.

I don't know what had gotten into me, or where this newfound courage had come from, but somehow, then I managed to ask, "What is your name?"

"Neji." His eyes softened a bit. "You?"

"Tenten." I felt so embarrassed. _What was I doing?! Dummy. Like he cares_.

"See you around, Tenten." He waved again, and then walked away in the opposite direction for real this time.

* * *

After almost two hours had passed, I was ready to give up for the day. I had gotten some work done, but still had zero ideas for my art project.

Plus, my mind kept wandering to that mysterious boy—Neji. He was unlike any boy I've ever met—or seen. In fact, he was unlike _anyone_ I've ever met or seen.

Why was I so fascinated by him? It's not like I was ever going to see him again, or that we were even friends. Even though our school was kind of small, so we could possibly run into each other again, but still. Why would he ever even care about someone like me, anyway?

I was…okay. Mostly a "plain jane", just another girl who blended in with the crowd and her surroundings.

It was time to meet up with my friends for dinner, anyway. I packed my things and left the library, pushing all thoughts of Neji out of my mind.

By tomorrow, this would just be another silly story to tell to friends and family, and nothing more than a fleeting memory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

She never thought that she was beautiful, but I _knew_ that she was. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, and her laugh always filled me with so much joy.

She called me the moon—which would make her the sun, but she was not the sun. She was much, much brighter, and more brilliant than anything in this universe.

Most of all, she brought peace to my inner turmoil—and I could never thank her enough.

No one else could save me from myself, but she did.

* * *

 _Tenten_ , I thought to myself, _what a weird name_.

But she was a strange girl. For starters, she wore her hair in two pigtail buns—who else did that around here? And her clothes—they weren't very girly at all. Plain T-shirt, ripped jeans, white Keds. Very plain and tomboyish. Nothing that would ever stand out.

 _Oh well, it's not like I'm ever going to see her again_.

I still couldn't help but remember how she had looked at me—as if she were in awe. Sure, a few girls have looked at me like that before—which I paid no mind to—but for some reason, when she did it, I actually didn't mind all that much.

* * *

I had little to no memory of my mother. She had died giving birth to me, so I didn't get to know her. It's no wonder how I've turned out to be almost exactly like my father, since he had been the one who raised me and all—cold, aloof, and completely closed off to the world.

I had never been close with my father, despite him being nearly the only family I had left. Our relationship had worsened when I told him that I wanted to go to an arts school and to major in filming. According to him, I was wasting my time and throwing the rest of my life away.

Yet here I was anyway, still going against his wishes. I owed my father nothing. He hadn't done anything for me. We barely spoke to each other before, but now, I didn't hear from him at all.

I somewhat blamed myself for my mother's death. After all, if I hadn't been born, she might still be living today. Sometimes I had nightmares—and darkness threatened to consume me. Despite all of this, I still tried to go on with my life—I didn't want to disappoint my mother. But the darkness was always there inside of me, the depression waiting to swallow me whole.

I had no idea what I wanted to do for my semester film project. I was trying to brainstorm some more when one of my roommates, and friend, barged in.

"Neji! What's up?"

"Oh, Naruto. I was trying to work on some school stuff—"

"Dude, forget that!" He seemed more excited than usual. _Uh oh_. _What was it now_?... "Shikamaru said that there's a HUGE party tonight at—"

"Naruto," I interrupted, already turning back to my desk, "you know how I feel about parties."

"But Neji… _come on_ ," he exhaled in exasperation. "You never do anything fun. Maybe it would help you feel better, you know, about—"

"Don't." I felt my face grow warm in sudden anger. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, before I could lash out and say anything that I would regret later. "Please, Naruto, thanks, but no thanks."

He was silent for a moment, aware that he had touched a nerve with me, and I almost turned back around to check on him. Then finally he said, "Well…okay. I'll get going, then. See ya."

"Hey…" I turned towards him slightly. "…tell Shikamaru I'm sorry…and maybe, _MAYBE_ , next time." I didn't want anymore ruined relationships with people—the one with my father was already enough.

I caught a glimpse of Naruto's face lighting up a bit as he headed out the door. "Sure thing, Neji!"

I cracked a small smile at this, and then went back to work.

* * *

The dorm I stayed in was one the other side of campus from where a lot of my classes were, so every morning I liked to take the campus bus to save myself some time and trouble.

Before leaving my room, I made sure that I had my camcorder with me. Maybe inspiration for my project would strike in between classes.

When I climbed onto the bus, I saw two familiar pigtail buns in the second row on the left side. She was alone.

 _Was this just a coincidence_? _Seeing her_ …again?

I also realized that the bus was abnormally crowded for that early in the morning, and the only available seat left was the one next to her.

As I grew closer, I saw that she had her head bent down and she was drawing in a sketchbook.

"Hey…Tenten, right?"

She slowly looked up in surprise, and her eyes widened when she saw me. "O-Oh! Neji…y-yes, that's right."

The bus started moving, so I needed to take a seat quickly. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

She managed a smile at me. "Of course not."

It wasn't like I had any other choice, really. I sat down and glanced over at her drawing. It was a sketch of the Fountain that was at the center of campus—simple and drawn with charcoal, but really good.

"That's amazing," I commented, and meant it.

"Oh, this? It's just a doodle." She closed her sketchbook in embarrassment. "I doodle when I'm bored."

"So…it's just a hobby?"

"Well…" She scrunched up her nose a bit as she pondered. It was kind of cute. "Not just a hobby. Art is my major. It's—what I live and breathe."

"Oh, that's awesome," I said lamely, wishing I was better at small talk. If this was small talk. It really was awesome, though.

She looked at me with her big brown eyes. "What about you, Neji?"

"Me?" I caught myself staring, and quickly glanced away for a bit past her, out the window. "I'm majoring in film."

"Wow!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's so cool. Have you made any movies or anything?"

I couldn't help but laugh at this. "Not really—a few short films, here and there, and some other stuff, but not a legitimate full length movie."

"Oh, okay." She smiled at me again. "Still neat."

The bus still hadn't reached my stop yet—or hers either, it seemed. Awkward silence began to settle in between us. Until…

"Neji?"

Her voice was so quiet amongst all the noise of the bus, but it was also crystal clear in my ears, her saying my name.

"What is it?" I turned to look at her. There was a slight pink flush across her cheeks.

"When are you graduating?"

"Next spring, hopefully."

"Ah—so you're a senior?" She absentmindedly reached up to touch one of her buns. "I kinda figured. You're…I don't know…very poised…and mature. Not an immature little sophomore like me." She gave me a small smile as she said this.

"You're only a sophomore?" I was genuinely surprised. She had seemed a bit older and mature to me as well. Then again, she was not like most sophomores—especially _girls_.

She was the one who had to get off the bus first.

"This is me," she said as she gathered her belongings and stood up. I politely moved out of the way to let her into the aisle. "See you, Neji." She smiled at me one last time before getting off.

"Bye, Tenten."

As she had passed me, I caught a whiff of something sweet—like fresh strawberries…and honey.

When I finally reached my stop, I figured that I probably wouldn't see her anymore—again. Oddly, a tiny part of me hoped that wasn't true.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

For some reason, all I could think about for the rest of the day was Neji and our conversation on the bus that morning.

 _How have I never noticed him on the bus before_? After all, he was the type of boy that I feel like I couldn't miss. Somehow, I must have missed him, because I took the bus every morning—unless he didn't. The possibility of that was disappointing to me, and I couldn't quite understand why.

All I knew was that he was intriguing. He drew me in. And I wanted to know more.

* * *

That day, I had so much work to get done that I almost forgot to eat lunch. There were about forty-five minutes left until my final class of the day, so I stopped by one of the campus cafes to grab something light to hold me over until dinnertime.

Just as I was about to pay for my Panini and raspberry tea, a hand holding out a ten-dollar bill reached over my shoulder to the cashier in front of me.

"This is for hers and mine." I turned to look at the source of this mysterious hand and was surprised to see Neji standing there, with a meal of his own.

"But—" I began to protest, but it was too late. He was already pocketing the change and moving along so as not to hold up the line.

"T-Thank you," I said to him, "but you really didn't have to."

He looked over at me, and once again I found myself entranced in his gaze. "It's no problem, really."

It was really busy in the café, so there were hardly any free seats. I glanced at my watch. Now I only had half an hour until class. I sighed. Maybe if I ate while walking over there, I could make it a little early and—

Neji interrupted my thoughts by suggesting, "We can eat outside." I had almost forgotten that he was there.

"We?" I stopped and turned to stare at him, caught off guard.

"Oh…are you already sitting with someone?" He sounded a tiny bit disappointed, but I was probably just imagining it.

"Oh, no," I said quickly, "I'm not. I just have to go to class in thirty minutes—

"That's fine," he replied, pushing open the door and holding it for me as I walked past him. "I have somewhere to be also."

None of the outdoor tables were available, either, so we had to settle for the grass under a large oak tree. When we sat down, I noticed that he kept a respectable distance away from my crossed legs with his own.

At first we ate in silence, with the background noise of other students heading to and from classes or enjoying their lunch at the tables nearby.

Surprisingly, Neji was the one who finally broke the silence.

"So what made you start drawing?"

I glanced over at him and noticed that he was already done eating. I finished chewing the bite I had just taken and took a small sip of my tea before answering.

"Ever since I found out I was adopted."

I was almost shocked at myself, and how openly honest I was being. I hardly ever talked about this with anyone, if ever. I mean, my friends knew about it, but still. I loved my adoptive parents, but had always wondered why my real ones had given me up. I knew nothing of them, and probably never would. Suddenly I could feel a lump forming in my throat.

"I—I'm sorry."

I took in a deep breath to steady myself. "For what?" He had no reason to apologize. But somehow, I knew that he truly meant it, and this, at least a little bit, comforted me.

"I didn't mean—"

"It's all right." I gave him a small but reassuring smile. "My parents now are amazing. I may not know anything about my birth parents, but maybe it's best that way." I reached for my tea again. "I began to draw whenever I felt sad…or empty. Like whenever I wondered where my parents were and why they didn't want me. But then…it became more than that. Sometimes, I like to think that maybe if my art becomes famous enough, that they'll see it…and maybe come find me."

Neji remained quiet, his pale eyes fixated on me. I blinked back some tears that were suddenly threatening to slide down my cheeks.

"But it's just a hopeless, stupid dream of mine, I guess. I do love art, though. I think now, I'm finally trying to do it for myself, not for them."

He didn't respond at first, and then I wondered if I had said too much. After a few minutes had passed, I had almost given up on any more conversation.

"I don't know my parents either."

I glanced over at him in surprise, but let him continue to speak.

"My mother…died giving birth to me." His face was completely expressionless. "My father is still alive, and he raised me, but I don't know him at all."

I wasn't quite sure what to say to this. I was almost amazed that he was revealing this much of his personal life to me, as if he trusted me. I liked the thought of that, and wondered if maybe, I trusted him, too.

He's completely cold and closed off," he continued, "and was completely against me pursuing film. I haven't talked to him in months."

I wanted to respond to all of this, to let him feel better or at least _something_ , but I couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm sorry about that," he finally said, "I said too much. You probably don't care about my dumb problems."

"I…I do care," I replied, and then felt myself blush when he looked at me. "It's not dumb."

It was then that I realized how close his right hand really was to my left on the grass in between us, and then that was also when I noticed the time on my watch.

"Shit!" I leaped to my feet, scrambling to gather up my stuff. "I'm going to be late!"

Neji got to his feet too, reaching down to pick up his things. "Oh, sorry about that—"

"It's okay. Thanks again for lunch, and everything." I smiled at him, and was pleasantly surprised when he smiled back.

"See you later."

I waved, and began to run across the grass, being extra careful so I wouldn't trip or fall.

"Wait…Tenten!" Neji had realized that my sketchbook was still lying in the grass at his feet. But I didn't hear him calling out for me—I was long out of earshot.

* * *

It was later on in my dorm when I realized that I didn't have my sketchbook.

"Oh my god," I said frantically as I searched through my backpack. "Where did I put it?"

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Hinata reassured me in her soft voice. "Maybe you left it in a class?"

I sighed and thought for a moment. "Maybe."

"It's late." She yawned, and turned off her lamp. "I'm turning in for the night. What about you?"

"Um, yeah," I replied, after checking my watch. "I have an early class."

"Goodnight, Tenten."

"'Night, Hina."

Even after I climbed into bed, I still couldn't sleep. At first, it was because I was pondering over my missing sketchbook—but then, my mind wandered to Neji.

He was the last thing I remember mulling over before finally falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

I couldn't sleep that night. For one thing, I was kind of stressed out about all of my school work—and my film project, of course.

But I was also, for some reason, thinking about my father.

I always worried that possibly one day, I would become just like him. Especially if I ever had my own family. The thought of it had always made me a bit hesitant to get too close to people…because I didn't want to be like that towards anyone.

And so, this was why I hadn't ever been in a relationship before—romantically speaking.

Which is why it was quite puzzling that I was even talking with Tenten as much as I was. For whatever reason, I _wanted_ to know more about her. Besides, our "relationship" or whatever it was wasn't _romantic_ in the least. I didn't even think we were really friends, either.

At the thought of Tenten, I remembered that I had her sketchbook. I slowly and quietly sat up in my bed (so I wouldn't wake any of my roommates) and gingerly plucked the book out of my backpack.

It was just a plain red hardcover sketchbook that had her name etched in tiny silver lettering on the front. It was well-loved, having some wear around its edges. It was kind of cute, just like her. I could imagine her bent over its pages, wearing her round glasses and a few loose strands of hair falling from her pigtail buns.

 _Okay Neji…now you're being creepy_. I almost opened it to peek inside, but knew that was probably wrong. Instead, I carefully placed it back inside of my backpack and turned over in my bed.

This just gave me another reason to see her again.

* * *

Of course, I was beyond exhausted the next morning—I barely made it through my 9 AM class.

 _Guess a good cup of coffee is in order_ , I thought to myself as I headed to our campus' local coffee shop.

Just as I was about to get in line, I noticed a familiar pair of buns at a table in the back corner.

I slowly walked up to her and gently placed her sketchbook onto the table next to her.

Tenten's eyes widened and she looked up at me in surprise. "My sketchbook!" Suddenly before I could even react, I felt her arms around me. "Thank you so much!" Soon she realized what she had done, and quickly let go of me almost instantly. "Oh—I'm so sorry!" She flushed a bright red, and I could feel my cheeks burning as well.

"It's okay." There was a bit of an awkward silence, so then I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject.

"Um…would you like something? I was going to get myself a coffee…"

"Oh, I couldn't," she replied, holding up her hand. "It's all right."

"Well—I insist. It's no big deal at all. You'll feel better, trust me."

Tenten slowly closed her laptop and then gave me a heartwarming smile. "Okay—sure. Since you're offering." She got to her feet and grabbed her things. "I'll come with you."

The line had gotten a bit longer while we had chatted earlier, but it was all right. I had several hours before my next class, anyway.

"Um…Neji?"

I turned to look at her in surprise at the sound of my name. It sounded so different when _she_ said it. "Yes?"

"Are—Are you all right?" She was peering at me, her wide brown eyes filled with concern. "You seem…tired. Exhausted, even. Ah—" She shook her head, and gave me a sheepish look. "Never mind, I don't mean to pry…I'm sorry."

"No—it's okay." I sighed. _Did I look that bad? Maybe coffee wouldn't be enough_. "I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"What for? It's not like it's your fault."

The line moved forward, and we finally got our coffee.

"Thank you so much," gushed Tenten as she took her latte from my outstretched hand. "Really." Her smile lit up the entire room, and then I knew.

I knew for sure that I couldn't risk letting her out of my sight once more. What if I never saw her again?

So I took the chance.

"Tenten…"

She looked over at me with her wide eyes and slowly lowered the coffee cup from her lips. "Yes?"

I took in a deep breath. "May I…see you again?"

At first, she didn't answer right away. In fact, a wave of surprise washed over her face, and then I almost took back my words.

But then she gave me that cheery grin of hers again, and I nearly melted with relief.

"Of course, Neji."

* * *

Days flew by with more of Tenten in my life. We were friends now, I suppose. She told me about her dreams and wishes, and how her life was like before coming here to study art.

Even when we weren't physically around each other, we were still talking. We had exchanged phone numbers and texted often when we were going about our separate schedules.

My roommates eventually took notice, however.

"Neji! You're sure on your phone a lot nowadays. What gives?" Naruto was staring at me in suspicion.

"Maybe he has a social life, unlike you," Sasuke retorted, earning a slight shove from Naruto.

"No way. Neji—WAIT. Is it a girl? You're totally talking to someone, aren't you? And I don't just mean talking…I mean, _talking_. You know? Spill the beans. I know I'm right!"

I sighed, trying my best to keep my composure (and my patience). "It's nothing, Naruto. She's just a _friend_."

"Uh huh. And I hate ramen." He rolled his eyes, but left it at that for now. Thankfully.

But Sasuke was also still looking at me kind of suspiciously, too.

 _Good grief_.

* * *

One night, I was suddenly awakened by my phone ringing.

It was three in the morning—who in the hell was calling me? I almost ignored it, but then saw who it was and immediately pressed answer.

"Tenten?"

At first there was no answer. Then I heard a few sniffles and a very timid voice.

"N-Neji, I…"

I sat up in my bed. "Tenten? Are you all right? What—"

"I…I'm so sorry I woke you…but, I…I c-can't…"

"Where are you?" I asked, already, climbing out of bed. "Stay right there, okay? I'm coming."

I was nearly running down the hallway to the elevator. I had never heard Tenten sound so hurt or distressed like this before. I had to make sure she was okay.

When I stepped out into the brisk fall night air, I saw her huddled figure on the concrete steps, slightly trembling and rocking back and forth. She jumped a little in surprise when I gently touched her shoulder.

"Tenten?"

She glanced up at me, her eyes filled with tears. Her hair was down instead of in her usual pigtail buns, so I almost didn't recognize her.

"Hey—hey," I said softly, and carefully sat down next to her. "Are you all right?"

She slowly shook her head, and I took one of her hands in mine. She was still shaking, and she went back to crying, still rocking back and forth while hugging her knees to her chest tightly. I didn't let go, and simply kept her company, letting it pass.

Eventually it did, and she grew calm. For a few moments, it was silent between us, but I waited for her. I wanted to let her speak first, if she so wished.

"I…I'm sorry." She let out a shaky breath. "I don't—I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay. Don't ever be sorry, Tenten."

Finally, she turned to look at me. "Sometimes…I get these nightmares. And sometimes…I also…feel so…alone." She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and wiped her eyes. "I get these panic attacks…I can't handle being alone…"

"I understand." I didn't take me eyes off of her. I couldn't. "I get nightmares too. And…I hate myself so much at times, I want to just…die."

I had never admitted these things before, to anybody. But I felt like I could tell anything and everything to Tenten. In fact, I really _wanted_ to.

"Well…at least we're not alone now." She gave me a weak smile, and it still managed to light up that bleak night.

"Tenten…"

"Hmm?"

I took another chance, following my heart once more. This was it. "You'll never be alone again. I promise." I carefully moved her hair out of her face, and then pulled her towards me into my arms.

It was a huge relief to feel her holding on to me, as well. "Neither will you, Neji. Okay?"

I responded by closing my eyes and pressing my face into her hair. "Thank goodness."


End file.
